According to a report, on the 23rd local time, the German candidate for chancellor from the Union bloc questioned whether NATO would maintain its "current form" before the June summit, given the recent relevant remarks of the US administration. In addition, he also said that Europe must build an independent defense capability as soon as possible.
Germany held a new round of federal parliamentary elections on February 23 to determine the new chancellor. Preliminary vote - counting results released by the German Federal Returning Officer early on the 24th local time showed that the Union bloc, composed of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, led in votes and won the election.
After the Union bloc's victory in the German general election, the candidate told German media, "I never thought I'd say this on a TV show, but after the remarks made by the US administration last week... it's obvious that this (US) government doesn't really care about Europe's fate."
The report added that the US administration told its European allies last week that Europe must take care of its own security and reduce its dependence on the US. At the same time, the US also announced talks with Russia to end the Russia - Ukraine conflict without involving Europe.
When talking about the NATO summit scheduled for June, the candidate said he wondered "whether we'll still be talking about NATO in its current form at that time, or whether we must build an independent European defense capability more quickly."
Previously, on February 20 local time, the candidate expressed concerns about the US administration during a campaign event. He said at the time, "We can see the consequences of the possible re - election of the US leader at every moment. The rift across the Atlantic is getting deeper. Europe should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Europeans must now take the security of the European continent into their own hands because the US commitment to Europe's security can no longer be guaranteed."